Informatics Practices · Class 12 Optional
Ch 6Societal Impacts — Class 12 Informatics Practices, concept-first.
The world around us has changed dramatically because of digital technologies. These changes have made life more convenient, faster, and easier to handle. Think about how communication worked before: a letter would take days to reach someone, and each recipient would get their own copy and respond separately.
Key concepts
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Digital Citizenship
Think about how you behave in a physical community — your neighbourhood, your college campus, or even a crowded market.
Start with this concept →Chapter contents
The NCERT structure, section by section. Open a section to see its questions, then read the concept-first solution.
Introduction
The world around us has changed dramatically because of digital technologies. These changes have made life more convenient, faster, and easier to handle.
Digital Footprints
Every time you search for something online, book a ticket, reply to an email, or check a game score, you leave behind a trail of data.
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Digital Society and Netizen
A digital society is one where daily life — communication, banking, shopping, education, travel, entertainment — is increasingly managed through online transactions and digital technologies.
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Net Etiquettes
Just as we follow certain etiquettes in our everyday social interactions, we need to exhibit proper manners and etiquette while being online (the textbook pictures this in Figure 6.2).
Be Ethical
Being ethical online, as the textbook frames it, comes down to two habits:
Be Respectful
Respect, in the online world, runs in two directions — towards individuals and towards groups:
Be Responsible
Being responsible online means, above all, doing no harm to others. The textbook singles out two behaviours to guard against:
Communication Etiquettes
Digital communication takes many forms — email, texting, instant messaging, talking on the cell phone, audio or video conferencing, posting on forums, social networking sites, and more.
Be Precise
Being precise in digital communication is really an economy of two scarce resources — the other person's time, and bandwidth:
Be Polite
Politeness applies to every form of digital communication — whether it happens live (synchronous exchanges such as chat or audio/video calls) or with a delay (asynchronous exchanges such as email, a f…
Be Credible
Every comment we make, every reply we send, and every email or forum post we write contributes to how credible we appear to others online.
Social Media Etiquettes
In today's digital era most of us are familiar with several kinds of social media, and we may hold an account on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or run a YouTube channel.
Be Secure
Being secure on social media means protecting our account, our connections, and our judgement. The textbook lists three etiquettes under this head.
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Be Reliable
The second head of social media etiquette concerns being reliable in what we put out on these platforms.
Data Protection
In today's world, almost everything we do leaves a digital trace. Data protection is the practice of keeping this digital information safe, especially when it comes to your personal privacy.
Intellectual Property Right (IPR)
When someone owns a house or a motorcycle, we say that the person owns that property. In just the same way, if someone comes out with a new idea, that original idea is the person's intellectual proper…
Copyright
Copyright grants legal rights to creators for their original works — writing, photographs, audio recordings, video, sculptures, architectural works, computer software, and other creative works of a li…
Patent
A patent is usually granted for inventions. The key contrast with copyright is procedural: while copyright is automatic, the inventor must apply (file) for a patent on the invention.
Trademark
A trademark covers any visual symbol, word, name, design, slogan, label, etc., that distinguishes a brand or commercial enterprise from other brands or commercial enterprises.
Licensing
Copyright gives the creator legal ownership over their original work. Licensing is the practical tool that lets others use that work.
Violation of IPR
Having intellectual property rights is one thing; having them respected is another. The textbook opens this section with a single statement: violation of intellectual property rights may happen in one…
Plagiarism
With the Internet at hand, copying or sharing text, pictures and videos takes only an instant — and that ease is exactly what makes plagiarism so common.
Copyright Infringement
Copyright infringement is using another person's work either without obtaining their permission to use it, or without paying for it, if it is being sold.
Trademark Infringement
Trademark infringement is the unauthorised use of someone else's trademark on products and services. A trademark identifies whose product or service the customer is buying, so using another's mark wit…
Public Access and Open Source Software
Copyright law, by default, restricts how others can use a creator's work. But if we want to encourage collaboration and build on each other's ideas, we need a way to share work legally.
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organisation that works to build a publicly accessible global platform.
Cyber Crime
Cyber crime refers to criminal activities or offences carried out in a digital environment. In such crimes, either the computer itself is the target, or the computer is used as a tool to commit a crim…
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Hacking
Hacking is the act of gaining unauthorised access to a computer, a computer network, or any digital system. The person who does this is called a hacker.
Phishing and Fraud Emails
Phishing is an unlawful activity in which fake websites or emails that look original or authentic are presented to a user in order to fraudulently collect sensitive and personal details — particularly…
Identity Theft
Identity thieves increasingly use personal information stolen from computers or computer networks to commit fraud with the unlawfully gained data.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a specific kind of cyber crime where the attacker does not just steal data — they lock you out of your own system.
Combatting and Preventing Cyber Crime
Cyber crime cannot be eliminated entirely, but its impact can be greatly reduced. The textbook presents a twin approach: staying alert and taking legal help.
Indian Information Technology Act (IT Act)
The Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act) is India's primary law for dealing with cyber crimes and electronic transactions.
E-waste: Hazards and Management
E-waste is not just old junk — it is one of the fastest-growing environmental hazards in the world today.
Impact of e-waste on environment
E-waste does not just pile up in landfills — it actively degrades the environment. The same electronic devices that make life convenient become a source of air, water, and soil pollution when discarde…
Impact of e-waste on humans
When we throw away an old phone or a broken television, the danger doesn't end at the landfill. Every electronic device is built from a mix of metals and elements — lead, beryllium, cadmium, mercury,…
Management of e-waste
E-waste management is not about destroying e-waste — that is impossible. It is about disposing of it efficiently so that the harm to humans and the environment is minimised.
E-waste Management in India
India’s legal framework for tackling e-waste begins with the Environmental Protection Act, 1986. This is the umbrella law that makes polluters pay.
Impact on Health
Digital technologies have become deeply embedded in nearly every field, which means we now spend far more time in front of screens — mobile phones, laptops, desktops, televisions, gaming consoles, mus…
Summary
- Whenever we perform any activity online, we leave behind a trail of data, referred to as Digital footprint.
Exercises
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- Q1After practicals, Atharv left the computer laboratory but forgot to sign off from his email account. Later, his classmate Revaan started usi…Free
- Q2Rishika found a crumpled paper under her desk. She picked it up and opened it. It contained some text which was struck off thrice. But she c…Free
- Q3Shaurya downloaded a 2-minute clip from the Internet explaining the concept of tuples in Python, used a video editor to add the text "Prepar…Free
- Q4After a fight with your friend, you did the following activities. Which of these activities is not an example of cyber bullying? (a) You sen…Preview
- Q5Sourabh has to prepare a project on "Digital India Initiatives" and downloads three web pages. Which of the following steps is an example of…Preview
- Q6Match the following: | Column A | Column B | |---|---| | Plagiarism | Fakers, by offering special rewards or money prize asked for personal…Preview
- Q7You got the below shown SMS from your bank querying a recent transaction. Answer the following — (a) Will you SMS your pin number to the giv…Preview
- Q8Preeti celebrated her birthday with her family. She was excited to share the moments with her friend Himanshu. She uploaded selected images…Preview
- Q9A school's Class XI students received a mass email, apparently from the network staff (registered URL schoolwifi.edu), claiming their passwo…Preview
- Q10You are planning to go for a vacation. You surfed the Internet to get answers for the following queries — (a) Weather conditions (b) Availab…Preview
- Q11How would you recognise if one of your friends is being cyber bullied? (a) Cite the online activities that would help you detect that your f…Preview
- Q12Write the differences between the following — (a) Copyrights and Patents (b) Plagiarism and Copyright infringement (c) Non-ethical hacking a…Preview
- Q13If you plan to use a short text from an article on the web, what steps must you take in order to correctly credit the sources used?Preview
- Q14When you search online for pictures, how will you find pictures that are available in the free public domain, and how can those pictures be…Preview
- Q15Describe why it is important to secure your wireless router at home. Search the Internet to find the rules to create a reasonably secure pas…Preview
- Q16List the steps you need to take in order to ensure (a) your computer is in good working condition for a longer time, and (b) smart and safe…Preview
- Q17What is data privacy? What type of information do the websites that you visit collect about you?Preview
- Q18In the computer science class, Sunil and Jagdish were assigned the following task by their teacher. (a) Sunil was asked to find information…Preview
- Q19Cite examples depicting that you were a victim of the following cyber crimes, and cite the provisions in the IT Act to deal with each — (a)…Preview
- Q20Neerja is a student of Class XI. She has opted for Computer Science. Neerja prepared the project assigned to her. She mailed it to her teach…Preview
- Q21Sumit's father gifted him a laptop and wishes to make him aware of the health hazards associated with the inappropriate and excessive use of…Preview
Sample & Board Papers
Sample papers and previous-year board questions for this subject.
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- Q1What can an individual do to enhance the privacy of data stored digitally ? (A) Share sensitive information on social media platforms. (B) U…Preview
- Q2Rama was unable to understand how the recruiters were able to know about her digital activity when she has not shared anything with them. Th…Preview
- Q3The software that is free for anyone, and its source code is available for access, modification, correction, and improvement is called _____…Preview
- Q4______ help in data protection through copyrights, patents and trademarks. (A) Data Privacy Right (B) Right to Innovation (C) Intellectual P…Preview
- Q5Assertion (A) : Cyber Bullying can have serious, emotional and psychological effects on victims. Reason (R) : Online Bullying is not a crime…Preview
- Q6Naveen discarded various types of waste material without realizing that e-waste contains harmful substances that could pollute the environme…Preview
- Q7Rohini has developed a new kind of water purifier that uses a unique filtration method. Which type of Intellectual Property Right should she…Preview
- Q8Which of the following is an example of maintaining good net etiquette ? (A) Spamming emails or messages to strangers. (B) Ignoring other's…Preview
- Q9(a) What is data protection ? (b) Mention any two precautionary measures one can take to avoid the risk of cybercrime.Preview
- Q10Ramandeep is a young woman with great aspirations and has a good team of like-minded people. She along with her team members started a compa…Preview
- Q11Primary law in India for matters related to e-commerce and cyber crime is: (A) IT Act 1995 (B) IT Act 2000 (C) IT Act 1998 (D) IT Act 2010Preview
- Q12E-waste is responsible for the degradation of our environment if not properly treated or disposed of. Some of the feasible methods of e-wast…Preview
- Q13Raheem created a unique computer software and wants to protect his creation from being copied or used without his permission. He is consider…Preview
- Q14Excessive screen time and poor posture can lead to: (A) Faster Internet speeds (B) Eye strain and other health issues (C) Better vision and…Preview
- Q15A small tech startup, is considering using open source software to develop their new project management tool. They are evaluating the benefi…Preview
- Q16Give any two impacts on environment that are caused when e-waste is carelessly thrown or dumped in landfills or dumping grounds.Preview
- Q17Explain in brief any one freedom offered by Open Source Software. Write one example for each of the following : (i) An Open Source Operating…Preview